A couple of weeks ago there was another sad milestone in the history of the Grumman F-14 Tomcat:

A chapter in naval aviation history drew to a close Feb. 8 aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) with the last recovery of an F-14 Tomcat from a combat mission.

Piloted by Capt. William G. Sizemore II, commander, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 8, Fighter Squadron (VF) 213’s aircraft 204 was trapped at 12:35 a.m. and marked one of the final stages of the Navy’s transition from the F-14 to F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet.

As I've mentioned before, the Tomcat is my favorite military aircraft, so seeing it go through its "sundown" phase has been a bit sad...